“I believe that this push for opting out is unproductive and I think it’s unfair to our young people,” said Markell. “Our educators, our school leaders, our parents, and for that matter our students deserve the information they need to understand how individual students are doing.”
“To me, opt out is admitting failure,” said Jaques. “[It’s] saying, oh, I can’t measure up. I’m not good enough to be able to take this test. I can’t pass that test. That’s not the American way.”
Markell just can’t shut up. And his latest lapdog, Earl Jaques needs to step down from the General Assembly and crawl back into whatever hole he came out of. The American Way brought you into office Jaques, and we will take you out of it! Markell wants to control everything, and now he is directing his dictatorial and authoritarian views on parents looking out for their kids. If he truly believed the words he said today, he would understand that parents DO NOT see this as valuable information. If it was, the test results would come back sooner.
Markell is in crisis mode, and he can’t stand the fact that parents and educators are openly defying him. About a month ago, I reached out to Governor Markell to talk about my issues. I sent him a very courteous email with a genuine effort to engage in conversation. His reply: none. These are people who don’t care about regular everyday parents. They care about their own money, and their own corporate-driven agendas. Delaware Parents: They are using our children. They don’t care about the actual data, just what they can do with it. At every step of the way on this matter, I have stepped up my game to do what is right for our students. I will not, and you should not either, allow Jack Markell and his cronies at the DOE, Rodel, the Longwood Foundation, The Delaware Business Roundtable and all the rest of these phony organizations to dictate what is best for our children. Enough Markell. You have drawn your line in the sand, and you should eagerly await my next response!
And as for you Mr. “I have never taught in a classroom” Earl Jaques, I can’t even bear to call you a State Representative anymore. You have lost that title in my mind. Twice you have chastised me at House Education Committee meetings when I have asked tough questions to the DOE that they didn’t want to answer. Twice you did not even give them the chance. You are not fit for the education committee, or the General Assembly.
To read more about the above quotes, please check out Avi Wolfman-Arent’s article on WHYY/Newsworks here: http://www.newsworks.org/index.php/delaware/item/79489-delaware-to-launch-qtesting-inventoryq-for-school-assessments
The Season Of Myths 
CRAZY
LikeLiked by 1 person
Dear Rep. Jaques,
I find your comments and attitude toward parents and children that choose to opt out as beyond offensive. Your condescending attitude and obvious lack of consideration and knowledge of individuals’ motivations and agendas is disturbing and I suggest you review your conclusions and comments and withdraw such attack verbiage in the future.
Representative John Kowalko
LikeLiked by 6 people
what JK said!
LikeLiked by 2 people
From Avi’s post: “Over the next four months and at a cost of about $350,000 government employees will fan out across Delaware to take stock of every state, district, and school-administered assessment. Officials are then expected to eliminate redundant exams and curb testing time.”
Am I crazy to think DDOE should already know what assessments are given in the districts?
LikeLiked by 1 person
I like the idea of pulling your child from public schools before the test and tell them your home schooling instead. Once test are over enroll them back in school. This way it eliminates all sit and stare and absentee issues.
Our state officials are an official disgrace. Anyone who believes the state government should have anything to do with education is mentally ill, and not fit for public office especially Markell and Jaques. The American Way is to reject corporatists, and fascist like these two idiots.
Choose to Refuse Common Core
LikeLiked by 1 person